The No-Nonsense ‘Make Money With Your Blog’ Primer

While many (many!) people start blogs each year with dreams of making a full-time income, most blogs barely bring in enough money to buy a cup of coffee.

Why?

Because ads are not as lucrative as you might think. To make $100 a day with Google AdSense, you need at least 40,000 page views per day. Yes, per DAY.

You’re probably wondering…

“How can you do it, Sue?”

How can you make money with your blog without killing yourself trying to get tons of traffic?

By selling your own services, courses, or products.

So, here’s the deal:

There are 6 ways to REALLY make good money with your blog. And I’m going to tell you about them right now.

Sound good? Let’s dive right in.

#1. Selling Services

To make money, you need to take the focus off ads and focus on your services.

What kind of services can you offer?

Freelancing

If you are a content writer, copywriter, virtual assistant, etc., you can use your blog to get attention and build your brand with your readers. Freelancing is hard work, but you can build your rates as your increase your experience.

Real-World Example

Pooja has leveraged her writing talent and turned it into freelance work. So can you.

Coaching

Are you really good at what you do?

Instead of selling your services, you could teach others to do what you do. Like freelancing, coaching is hard work. However, you take on fewer clients, and you can charge more per hour.

Real-World Examples

Don Purdum created and sold a business that generated nearly $20 million annually. He has a lot of knowledge and insights to share, which is why everyone from Adrienne “Engagement Superstar” Smith to “Two-Time Super Bowl Champ” Gary Clark have tapped Don for his skills as a business coach.

By offering 1-on-1 Internet Marketing Coaching on his blog, Unveil the Web, Don is able to leverage his experience into extra income.

How To Get Started w/Services

Ashley is an expert at WordPress and SEO. So, in addition to regularly blogging about these (and similar) topics, he offers these skills as paid services.

You could do the same.

Pick your areas of expertise and offer them as services on your blog.

(And if you’d like to set up a Clarity.fm account like Chris, just click here. It’s free.)

#2. Selling Products

Another option for generating income with your blog is to sell products – either physical or digital. Your blog can act as a way to bring attention and traffic to your online e-commerce store.

Are you the crafty type? You can sell art, jewelry, and other wares.

If you’re not the crafty type, you can sell digital products. The opportunity to sell knowledge and information is HUGE!

Position yourself in your niche as an expert and the buyers will come. Whether it’s an eBook, printable PDF, checklist, or guide book… people are always on the hunt for information to make their lives easier.

And here’s the kicker:

The great thing about digital products is you create it once, but you get to sell it over and over.

Real-World Examples

John Lee Dumas and Kate Erickson have created numerous products for their Entrepreneur On Fire audience.

By creating artwork once, Jaime is able to profit from that hard work over and over. For example, here is an artwork bundle he sells for $5.99.

Jaime knows there is a market for bloggers in need of funny, original visuals their readers haven’t already seen a hundred times.

By using his skills as an illustrator to create a digital product, Jaime is able to bring in yet-another stream of income for his family.

How To Get Started w/Products

Ask yourself, “What does my audience want?”

“What problem can I solve for them?”

You see, the type of product you create doesn’t matter nearly as much as the need it solves.

Jeni Elliott knew this, which is why she decided to create a professional-but-affordable media toolkit for bloggers. Jeni saw bloggers were faced with choosing between substandard quality and paying a painful amount of money, so she created The Brand Magnet:

You need to create your Brand Magnet.

Figure out what your audience needs, and then go create it.

Products haphazardly thrown together without rhyme or reason might make you a little money, but they don’t hold a candle to worthwhile products that fill a need.

Tip: Look at your most popular blog posts. Which ones have received the most interaction? These are great candidates for topics that could be expanded into products.

#3. Selling a Course

Figured out what your audience needs?

Great!

Instead of a one-time download, why not create an entire course on the topic?

You can create courses comprised entirely of written material, videos, or a combination of the two. You can also bundle them with coaching sessions, private group memberships, or priority customer support – allowing you to create several different price points for your audience.

#5. Have a Membership Area

They are both exclusive, members-only features your blog readers pay a fee to access.

Exclusivity is key – the perks behind your paywall can’t be mundane and easily accessible elsewhere. They need to be worthwhile.

Real-World Examples

With Tara Gentile’s coaching fees typically running $7,500 or more, the $39 required each month for membership to Kick Start Labs is an outright bargain – members have access to two group coaching calls by Tara each month (among other perks).

In addition to resource guides, access to well-known authors, and other perks, members of Read Aloud Revival get to join a community of over 1,800 other like-minded parents with a common goal: getting their children to love reading.

And all for $14.95 a month.

How To Get Started w/Memberships

Using a plugin like Restrict Content Pro allows you to create premium content only your paying members can read. To read more about it, check out this tutorial by Syed Balkhi.

However, for ease of use and accessibility, it’s hard to beat the convenience of private Facebook groups. If you’ve never before created a Facebook group, here is the simple three-step process:

Step 1:

Sign into Facebook, find “Groups” in your navigation menu, and click “Create Group.” The following window will appear:

Step 2:

Choose “Closed” or “Secret” for your “Privacy” settings.

Step 3:

Click the “Create” button.

That’s it.

#6. Affiliate Programs

Want to know the best part about selling affiliate products?

When you promote the products of others and your readers buy it, you get paid a commission.

With affiliate sales, you’re still selling products, courses and programs, but you’re not the one creating them.

Yes, this isn’t as lucrative as creating something of your own. But for bloggers who don’t want to offer services or create their own products, it’s a very viable option.

You can promote affiliate products in all kinds of places. Place affiliate links in your:

Content

Add affiliate links into your blog posts. You can write informative posts and link to products (where they fit, of course), or you could write a full product review to tell your readers all about the product (both its pros and cons).

Real-World Example

Be A Better Blogger’s own Kevin J. Duncan wrote an all-encompassing article explaining his reasons for switching to The Rainmaker Platform:

In addition to giving readers a behind-the-scenes look at his decision-making process, Kevin sprinkled affiliate links for Rainmaker throughout his article.

Emails

There really is power in your list.

Your subscribers have already shown an interest in what you have to offer, so capitalizing on that interest from time to time by sending out emails with affiliate links is a great way to generate income (while also offering your readers a [hopefully] beneficial product).

Real-World Example

Jeff Goins’ readers trust him. When he shares with them a course or product, they know it’s something good:

How To Get Started w/Affiliates

Every merchant is different, but many use ShareASale to manage their affiliate opportunities. Here’s how to create a free account:

Step 1: Choose Username and Password

After clicking the “Affiliate Signup” button on ShareASale’s homepage, you’ll see the following screen:

Choose your username and password, and select your country of origin.

Step 2: Enter Your Website Info

You need a website in order to use ShareASale. Assuming you have one, on screen two you enter your URL, the primary language in which your website is written, and a few miscellaneous pieces of information about your site (such as whether or not it contains adult material).

Step 3: Enter Contact and Payment Info

On screen three, you’ll enter your name, address, and all other applicable contact information. Next, you’ll configure your payment settings (though you can skip this step and come back to it later in your ShareASale dashboard).

And that’s it. You’re now ready to sign up for thousands of different affiliate opportunities.

What’s The Bottom Line?

However, long gone are the days where you could do so simply by writing a few posts and throwing Adsense on your site.

You need to offer a service. You need to create a product, course, or membership site. You need to offer live training. You need to learn all you can about affiliate marketing.

Monetizing your blog can seem a little overwhelming. So, start small. Make it your goal to earn $1,000 this year.

How?

Create a $97 course and sell it to 10 people. There’s your $1,000.

And you want to know the best part?

As your blog grows, more opportunities to make money will become available to you.

Play your cards right and you can obtain the freedom that lets you work from home doing what you love…

Blogging.

[avatar email=”sueannedunlevie@gmail.com” size=”125″]About Sue Anne Dunlevie
Sue Anne Dunlevie helps bloggers make money with their blogs so they can quit their jobs, work at home, be their own boss, and spend more time doing what they love. As a free bonus, she has written a report on “How To Attract 1000 Subscribers In 30 Days.”

Reader Interactions

Comments

It is definitely possible to make money through your blog. Each successful person you’ve outlined here has done one thing extremely well… they’ve demonstrated and proven themselves as competent.

People buy based on competency and when a blog is “great” and positions one over-and-over again as an expert we build the opportunities. But, it does take time. It doesn’t have to be a long time though because my blog is only 19 months old.

Thanks so much for including me Sue next to some amazing people!!!! What a blessing and honor.

Not because you included me (but thank you), but more because I’m still building my main website and drawing art for “blogger packages” and you create this!?

I’ve been working like a madman, shaping and massaging the right elements into my pages and products…but wasn’t sure if I missed anything. You gave us a check list…and it’s got me to stop and reevaluate my path.

Happy to say, for once, I believe I’m doing thing just as I should…while the memberships option (and mayyyyybe the eCourses route) might take part in the future.

Loved it. Thank you, Sue!

OH! BTW—If any of you bloggers have a specific TYPE of artwork they’re looking for, now is the time to contact me with suggestion, as I am theming art into a package that could be useful for you. Always good to know what people need and want.

WOW, what a epic list of options for any and every type of blogger out there, Sue!

I think after choosing what option is best for your brand the other magic part of the success formula is putting all your focus into THAT money maker for a significant amount of time. I see so many solos out there trying to create too many streams of income at once which dilutes all of their offers. It’s all about simplicity and focus….2 things I’ve learned from YOU lady!

Thanks for kicking our blogger asses and helping us create the right offers in our business to watch them soar.

Very well-done! Great illustrations and content – should be inspiring to anyone who wants to blog for money!

Of course to make any of them work, you need strong content and a message that’s not me-too, cookie-cutter content. You need to know your stuff.

You’re right about adsense! Long gone!

I find ShareASale a little intimidating but I’ve worked with products who use it for affiliates. For someone just getting started, on a small scale there’s nothing wrong with JVZoo. It’s fast and easy to get listed. Then if you end up with serious affiliates who generate meaningful revenue, another option is nanacast.

Tons of great ideas here, Sue! I do ads on my site, but you’re right– ads are a little touch-and-go, especially if you want a solid income that doesn’t fluctuate (although belonging to an ad network can help increase profits past what Google AdSense can offer). I just launched an ebook last week and I am looking forward to launching other products in the future! Thanks for your expertise!

Wow! What fantastic comprehensive list of ways to make REAL money with a blog Sue Anne! Thank you so much for providing real world examples, it just proves that it’s totally possible.

It’s also great to point out that bloggers can do more than one of these things. Right now I offer freelance writing services, but I’d love to eventually add a course to my site. It’s a dream at this point but I know it’s something that’s highly possible.

Wow! This is such a great and comprehensive resource, I’m going to bookmark it. Thanks for taking the time to put together this list for those of us who would really like to make a buck with our blogs!

Hi Sue,
So sorry I’m late to the party, but this definitely fits the description, better late than never.
These are the firest class ways of monetization.
No flashing lights of ads here and there. I’m all booked solid for the webinar on Saturday, can’t wait to hear all the content you have for us *without fluff*
Thanks for putting this together.
Off to tweet now.
Cheers

Hello Sue,
Great post. Lot’s of great ideas. I’m starting with building my own product. I’m keeping it simple and my goal is to get it to market before the end of the month. I just need to sit down and do it.
I think for most people, the most important part is simply trying something and doing it. Get it out there. Be a success, or be a failure. Learn from the experience and make the next thing better and even more successful.
Thanks for the boost, Sue.

Love your chatty, friendly style! And thanks for adding in the steps involved in each method you’ve included here.

It is possible to make money through your blog and you’ve included some excellent examples here of people who are doing just that – and good money too! One big reason why is that they’ve spent time on what Chris Garrett of ChrisG.com and Copyblogger.com calls the Retention stage.

Chris teaches 3 steps to making money: Attraction, Retention, Conversion (ARC). Most people try to make money by Attraction – Conversion, missing out the most important step – Retention.

Retention can take a while (and sometimes not all your readers will move to the Conversion stage. But they can become your most prolific readers and, what I call fan-marketers).

Retention, aka Engagement, is often forgotten or glossed over when promoting blogging as a money-making business platform. This causes many people to become frustrated and disappointed when they try selling their products or service. I’ve learnt this the hard way when I started blogging, thinking I’d make money within my first week. It can be a hard lesson in failed launches for experienced bloggers with big audiences too.

The success stories you’ve included in this post, have achieved their success by working hard on that Retention stage. They’ve worked hard on the Attraction and Conversion stages too but made Retention a priority. I like how Jeff Goins talked about how he created his first product because his readers kept asking for it. That’s a great example of how Retention works in practice.

Attraction is easy. The hard part is Retention. It’s the people you keep coming back for more are the people who will make your blog make money. Retention starts with you asking yourself these 2 questions:

1. What end result do I want out of having a blog (and how will I know when I’ve got it)?

2. What end result do the people I want coming to my blog want (and how can I give it to them)?

Your answers will put your potential buyers at the heart of your blog – and they’ll know that you’re putting them and be attracted to you for it.

Thank you for sharing these tips, Sue! Your tips boosted my confidence and motivation to make money as a blogger. I will set my first goal to make a $1000 in the next 6 months by selling my services and coaching program on my site. Great advice and I appreciate the step by step implantation instructions!

Talk about valuable content! This article is worth more than a million dollars! You have shared some very useful, practical and actionable tips that any blogger can use to make money online. Although I have been blogging for over a year, I have learned so much just by reading this one blog post. And judging by the other comments, I know I am not the only one!

I love the real world examples that you have included because they add to the credibility of the content. I will be implementing some of the new techniques that I have learned immediately. Thanks so much for sharing :)!

Great post and very informative. I have been blogging now for nearly 6 years and have made money but nothing to write home about or even buy a good bottle of wine. I do enjoy my blog and unfortunately I know I will never be able to give up work as it will never support me . I have however given my day job away as I network market now ( just not with my blog) and I do make hell good money. I love networking so MLM is up my ally and the money makes my life so much more relaxed. I just wished I had found this years ago! Thanks again for the read!

This is an excellent article here on Kevin’s blog. At the end of the day, there’s just so many ways a person can monetize that’s BETTER than simple ads.

I know one of the best ways, if you want to make money right from the start, is to do some sort of service. That’s at least one sure fire way to go. But definitely all of these you mentioned in this post (especially courses) are stuff I like and that I’m interested in.

Kevin, I can’t believe it! I barely get enough time to read newsletter so I kept this one for some time until I had the chance to read this email. Again, you did not fail to show yourself as a wonderful person who shares a wealth of valuable resources for free.